I've always wanted to climb a mountain. I was never much of an outdoors person as a kid, but something about mountain climbers--the ones who reached the tops of Everest or Kilimanjaro--seemed so cool! To go against gravity in such a way that made your lungs weaken during ascension. To rise above the clouds--closer to heaven to ever before.

What I love about mountains

is that

I am but a speck

I disappear in the grandeur of something so much bigger

than myself

Mountains humble. Egos crumble. In bumper sticker-Christianity, people like to talk so brazenly about God moving mountains for them...for us--about God disrupting God's nature for lil ole you and me. It has it's time and place, yes, but there's something about holding ourselves--our problems, our pains, our heartaches--next to the grandeur and splendor of something so inexplicably magnificent!

Lately, I've been dreaming about mountains--about climbing--about how the climbing never ceases. And instead of being disgruntled about that reality, I thank God for stamina, knowing I shouldn't be here...be alive...after everything I've been through. I thank God for the climb. The climb means I'm still here. I thank God for patience and peace during the climb. When I daydream about mountains, I imagine reaching the top someday, only to descend into the next valley in preparation for the next climb. This is life. We can't linger at the top of one mountain forever. There are so many more to climb--so much life to live--so many possibilities to explore!

We spend our whole lives

climbing mountains

I am but a speck

on the grandeur of something

so much bigger

than me

Mt. Shasta, CaliforniaOctober 2014

Get link

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Other Apps

Labels

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Disclaimer: For mature audiences only
I was sexually assaulted on a first date when I was 24. The events of that evening landed me in Harlem Hospital at 2 am with a concussion and a bruise on my forehead (among other things). During the hours in which I took up residence in a private emergency room, I was coached by a nurse on how to proceed--to take legal action immediately or to not take legal action...to complete a rape kit or to not complete a rape kit. It was overwhelming. I also had to take 17 pills, mostly anti-viral meds. It was intense. There was a moment when I looked up to the ceiling and silently bemoaned. "Really God?" I said, as the quick air from a painful chuckle slipped through my lips. I felt like I was in an episode of Law & Order: SVU. I felt defeated. I felt stupid. I felt isolated. And all because I said, "yes." The details of what transpired that evening are not important to this post. What is important, however, is how the lingering trau…

Recently, my little brother got engaged. 🎉
But can I just say, Hashtag Triggered?! 😑
I was very thrilled that he finally proposed to his now fiance and that I absolutely love her. She is so sweet and brings goodness into his world. I'm so excited for them. However, during my last trip home to New Orleans, a family member was chatting with me about it and asked about my relationship, and then proceeded to say,
"I thought you'd be next." 😣 B*TCH, ME TOO! DAMN!
I did not say this aloud as I was in my father's house (#shondo #imchurchy), but everything in my body tensed up. Every hair stood up on my boiling skin and my heart began palpitating as I attempted to calmly explain why I wouldn't "be next" while simultaneously trying not to burst into tears in front of company. I started rambling about my burgeoning career--about "our" careers--and attempting to refocus the conversation while wanting to jump into the large pot of red beans simmer…

Today, I learned that God's plans for us aren't final--that sometimes life/humans get in the way, and even God has to start all over again with the planning.
We may hear God speaking to us about something very specific that God has planned for us and years later, be questioning whether what was spoken was really God or some made up voice in our heads. Usually, we're interrogating that when we feel betrayed by what we thought was a God-plan that didn't come to fruition, or when we feel that God has been silent for too long and the plan hasn't manifested the way we thought it should've. We start to think we've misunderstood God.
But perhaps, God is rearranging some things--that God is adjusting God's plan for our lives so that it can stay true to the ways in which we've evolved since the plan was spoken. Perhaps, God is staying true to the ways people and the universe have evolved. Perhaps, the original plan no longer fits.
This was a most freeing r…